In late June 1944, just as the 2nd and 7th Divisions of the New Fourth Army were fighting against the Japanese along the southern section of the Huainan Railway, the Kuomintang Gui recalcitrant army not only did not cooperate with the New Fourth Army in the operation, but its 171st Division also attacked the Chaobei Detachment of the New Fourth Army from behind, causing the Chaobei Detachment to suffer heavy losses. In mid-July, the Gui army occupied the whole (Jiao) area of Jiang (Pu) and completely cut off the communication links between the 2nd and 7th divisions of the New Fourth Army, and at the same time deployed the 171st and 176th divisions to attack from the east and west in an attempt to occupy the anti-Japanese base areas in central Anhui. Gui Yan openly declared in the instruction: "The purpose of this army's dispatch is purely to attack the New Fourth Army and control the Jiang (Pu) and (county) areas, and we should avoid a decisive battle with the enemy." They also sent spies to contact the Japanese puppet army, explaining that "this army has no other intention than to fight the New Fourth Army" in order to obtain the cooperation of the Japanese puppet army.
At that time, the intention of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was to develop Henan, and the 2nd Division was required to advance along the Pinghan Road and cooperate with the 4th Division in combat.
However, the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army sent a telegram to Mao Zedong on July 26, saying: "Recently, after careful study of the situation in Henan, it seems that it is too early to move with a large corps to the great army of Henan. At the same time, Gui Yan posed a great threat to the 2nd, 5th, and 7th Divisions of the New Fourth Army, and now he is trying to take advantage of the opportunity of the southern section of the Huainan Road to attack us on a large scale,...... We have cut off the connection between our 2nd and 7th divisions, and then seek to realize the various plots to defeat me. The military headquarters of the New Fourth Army proposed: "Draw out the necessary main forces to the area west of Huainan Road to organize a campaign of self-defense and anti-stubbornness." "Defeat its edge and consolidate the traffic and Luxi positions of our 2nd and 7th Divisions." On July 30, the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army asked the 2nd Division to prepare to fight Gui Yan.
On 2 August, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a telegram agreeing with the above opinions, but at the same time pointed out: "At present, it is advisable to assemble the necessary and sufficient forces for special training, intensively study the methods of encirclement and annihilation, and let them advance to an appropriate place before they attack, and then I will annihilate one of them with all my strength, and then find an opportunity to annihilate another part of it and make a show of prestige, otherwise it will not be easy to solve the problem." "
The commanders and fighters of the 2nd and 7th Divisions immediately took full force and prepared to deal a heavy blow to the invading enemy.
On August 23, with nearly 2,000 troops, Gui Yan launched a fierce attack on Tianjing Mountain on the west side of Zhoujia Mountain in the Chaowu Central District in two ways. The battle began in the nest without direction.
Zhoujia Mountain is located in the west of Wuwei County, Anhui Province, south of the Yangtze River, west of Baihu Lake, north of Chaohu Lake, more than 200 meters above sea level, dense woods on the mountain. There are also Hulu Mountain, Xujia Mountain, Tianjing Mountain, Yang Mountain, Oolong Mountain, and Bodhisattva Mountain bordering Zhoujia Mountain. The location of Zhoujia Mountain is dangerous, and it is a place where both enemies and us must fight. The Yangtze River Detachment of the 7th Division of the New Fourth Army sent an independent regiment to the front line of Tianjingshan and Zhoujiadashan on 19 August to step up combat preparations.
At 7 a.m. on 23 August, the 528th Regiment of the 176th Division, five squadrons of the Standing Brigade, and one mortar company, totaling more than 2,000 people from 16 companies, launched a fierce attack on the positions of Tianjingshan and Hulushan in two directions. Long Yanwu, commander of the 8th Guerrilla Column of the Kuomintang Army in Anhui Province, personally went to Wulong Mountain to supervise the battle.
The 3rd Battalion of the 528th Regiment made a detour to the right flank, advanced to the front of Hulu Mountain, and suppressed the forward positions of the New Fourth Army with intensive machine-gun fire.
The 1st and 2nd battalions of the Independent Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the Baihu Regiment guarding the positions of Tianjing Mountain and Hulu Mountain rose up to meet the attack. Although the weapons and equipment of the New Fourth Army were still very backward, the vast number of commanders and fighters took it as their duty to resist Japan and save the country, regarded death as their home, fought bravely, killed and wounded the recalcitrant troops with fierce firepower, and inflicted heavy casualties on the recalcitrant troops. The New Fourth Army not only dared to fight and fight, but was also resourceful and good at fighting. When the recalcitrant army approached, the commanders and fighters of the New Fourth Army, who were good at throwing bombs en masse, threw rows of grenades at the recalcitrant army and sounded mines, stone mines, and other explosives. For a time, the flames soared into the sky, the sound was like thunder, the smoke and dust were filled, and countless shrednel flew towards the recalcitrant army like sharp arrows. Taking advantage of the chaos of the recalcitrant army, the commanders and fighters of the New Fourth Army immediately jumped out of the trenches, drew their sabers, and rushed as fast as meteors and fierce tigers, desperately pounced on the recalcitrant army, killing the recalcitrant army and howling wolf, and retreating one after another.
At about 10 o'clock, the recalcitrant army attacked head-on with the strength of 5 companies, and attacked Yangshan, Tianjingshan, and Guanshan from the flank with the strength of 5 companies. After repelling several attacks by the recalcitrant army, the independent regiment of the detachment along the river had to be ordered to move because of the running out of ammunition. In order to cover the smooth transfer of troops, the 3rd Company of the New Fourth Army, the 1st squad leader, the deputy squad leader, and two soldiers held their positions, fought hand-to-hand with more than 10 times their own stubborn troops, and finally all died heroically.
After the recalcitrant army invaded Yangshan, Tianjing Mountain, and Guanshan, they went all out to besiege the Sanjianshan pillbox of the New Fourth Army. Under the command of Zhang Bai, secretary of the party branch, and Zhang Kaiyun, the platoon commander, the soldiers of the 4th company and 1st platoon of the 2nd Battalion of the Independent Regiment still held their positions in a disadvantaged situation, and successively defeated more than ten charges before and after the recalcitrant army, killing and wounding dozens of people. At about 13 o'clock, the platoon ran out of ammunition, and even the stone mines were exhausted, so the commanders and fighters had to fight with the recalcitrant soldiers with rifle butts, bayonets, and stones.
At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, the 23 soldiers of the platoon raised the heroic slogan of "coexist with the position!" and, after killing more than 10 recalcitrant soldiers, they dismantled their machine guns and smashed their rifles. Under the leadership of Zhang Bai and Zhang Kaiyun, one by one the warriors descended the mountain like fierce tigers, scrambling to jump out of the trenches and shouting in unison, "Long live the Communist Party of China!" They rushed towards the recalcitrant army with overwhelming momentum, and fought the recalcitrant army hand-to-hand with rifle butts, stones, and teeth.
23 warriors of the New Fourth Army died heroically, their greatness can show the sun and the moon, and their loyal souls can cry ghosts and gods. They used their blood to lay the final victory of the self-defense counterattack of the Zhou family's mountain.
Then, relying on Tianjing Mountain and Guanshan, the recalcitrant army concentrated superior forces and stormed the Zhoujia Mountain position of the New Fourth Army.
The commanders and fighters of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment fought back and fought viciously against the recalcitrant army, and after several hours of repeated fighting, they defeated the attack of more than 1,000 recalcitrant troops, and always held the position of Zhoujia Mountain.
At this time, the cunning and stubborn army began to shift the target, attacking the forward position of Longtou Mountain, and then swooping down on Zhoujia Mountain, all the way to the blockhouse of the New Fourth Army. The commanders of the 7th Company of the Independent Regiment bravely counterattacked, fought bloody battles with the recalcitrant army for several hours, repelled 4 charges by more than 1,000 recalcitrant troops, and prevented the recalcitrant army from occupying an inch of land.
The battle lasted until dusk, and the recalcitrant army was afraid of being annihilated due to heavy casualties, and fled in the direction of Wulong Mountain and Huanggu Gate. The 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment and the Baihu Regiment, with the cooperation of the Chaowu Brigade, took advantage of the victory to attack separately, recovered the first-line position of Tianjing Mountain, and smashed Gui Yan's attempt to occupy Zhoujia Mountain first, and then advance step by step to occupy the baseless territory of the New Fourth Army.
In one fell swoop, more than 300 officers and soldiers below the 528th Regiment of the 528th Regiment were killed, and the 528th Regiment was defeated to the point that it lost its combat effectiveness.
However, Gui's 171st Division was tireless in attacking the New Fourth Army.
On November 10, 1944, the Japanese puppet army concentrated more than 7,000 people and divided into seven routes from the east and west lines to "sweep" Lotang Town, Zhangqiao and other places in the central area of the west base area. The enemy on the eastern front set out from Bengbu, Mingguang, Chuxian, and Dingyuan, and attacked Lotang Town in the central area by four routes; the enemy on the western front advanced eastward from the Huainan Road and occupied the areas of Jigang and Zhangqiao Town by three routes. Everywhere the Japanese army went, they killed people and burned their houses, leaving no chickens and dogs behind, and implemented the cruel and inhumane "three lights" policy.
On the 13th, the hateful 171st Division of Gui Yan also concentrated the main force of 5 battalions and local miscellaneous armed forces totaling more than 8,000 people, commanded by Meng Peiqiong, the commander of the 512th Regiment, followed by the Japanese puppet army, spying on the opportunity, and attacked the Luxi base area in two ways, occupying Caojiagang, Guoji, Qinglongchang and other places, and the situation was extremely grim.
The Japanese puppet army advanced from east to west, specially destroying the fortifications of the New Fourth Army, blowing up pillboxes and walls, and laying mines and grenades underground, delaying the repair time of the New Fourth Army and creating conditions for the recalcitrant army to attack the liberated areas. On the 14th, when the recalcitrant army approached the Caojiagang area where the 15th Regiment of the New Fourth Army was active from the south, the Japanese puppet army also advanced from the north to the same area. The 15th regiment flexibly jumped out of the sun, pseudo, and stubborn flanking attacks. When the Japanese puppet army was about to meet the recalcitrant army, it fired a cannon warning and the recalcitrant army immediately retreated. This is a show made on the battlefield by the Japanese, the pseudo-puppet, and the stubborn in the shadows.
The generals of the New Fourth Army made plans and directed a "good show" of "dog eat dog".
The 14th Regiment and the Chaobei Detachment carried out continuous sabotage attacks from Qinglong Factory to Huainan Road, dealing a great blow to the enemy's strongholds and coal transportation along Huainan Road. More than 1,000 Japanese puppet troops who "swept up" the Jigang area attempted to kill the 14th Regiment's "Hui Ma Gun", and on the 15th, they advanced covertly from the north to Qinglong Factory. At this time, the two battalions of the 512th Regiment of Guiyan attempted to attack the 14th Regiment and the Chaobei Detachment after the Japanese puppet army destroyed the fortifications of the New Fourth Army of Qinglong Factory, and advanced from the south to Qinglong Factory.
On the morning of the 16th, the Japanese army advanced to the north of Qinglong Factory, and the recalcitrant army advanced to the south of Qinglong Factory. The leaders of the 14th Regiment of the New Fourth Army analyzed that the Japanese and the stubborn were secretly colluding and that it was inconvenient for them to have direct contact on the battlefield, so they implemented a plan of "taking time out of the belly": Sending one company of troops to divide the Japanese and stubborn troops into two routes, one to the north to fight the Japanese army, and the other to the south to fight the stubborn army.
When the two armies approached that day, the company of the New Fourth Army came out of its shell and withdrew covertly. It was a rainy day, foggy, and it was impossible to see the human figure from 10 meters away. When they met head-on, they both regarded each other as the New Fourth Army, so machine guns, rifles, and grenades fired at each other. In the past few days, the Japanese puppet army has been dealt a heavy blow by the New Fourth Army, and finally has a chance to vent its anger, and the recalcitrant army is glad that it can annihilate the New Fourth Army in one fell swoop, so the two sides fought more and more fiercely, until the Japanese captured the recalcitrant soldiers, they did not know that they had fallen into the "trap" of the New Fourth Army, and the Japanese devil commander was so angry that he screamed.
The casualties among the Japanese, puppeteers, and stubborn people in this fire were not small, and the broad masses in the Huainan area all applauded after hearing the news.
However, the recalcitrant army was very resolute in its determination to destroy the New Fourth Army. Before dusk on the 17th, the four battalions under the command of Gui Yan Meng Peiqiong had advanced to the line of Guoji and Jiangji south of Yanshouji, and were only 2.5 kilometers away from Xiaochenzhuang, where the command post of the 5th Brigade of the New Fourth Army was stationed, and the attack was imminent.
However, all the fortifications of Yanshouji and Zhanjigang were destroyed by the Japanese puppet army; there were only 18 regiments nearby, and the other regiments were outside the one-day journey; in the past few days, the troops of the New Fourth Army have been constantly moving and fighting, and they are extremely tired.
There was no other way, and only by repelling the attack of the recalcitrant army could the New Fourth Army feel at ease to deal with the difficult situation caused by the Japanese puppet "sweep."
Cheng Jun, brigade commander and commander of the military division, rushed to Yanshouji and telegraphed the 13th, 14th, and 15th regiments to overcome all difficulties and rush to the Zhanjigang area overnight to assemble; ordered the 18th regiment to immediately concentrate the entire regiment's forces in Yanshouji and Zhanjigang to repair the fortifications overnight and do everything possible to hold on for a day.
Fortunately, the recalcitrant army did not dare to attack rashly, allowing the New Fourth Army to gain time to assemble its troops. On the 18th, Gui Yan stopped for a day on the front line of Guoji and Jiang Ji, and shot northward, testing the truth and reality. Before dusk, all the three main regiments of the New Fourth Army arrived at the location designated by the brigade headquarters and were ready to hide. The fighting spirit of all units was vigorous, and letters of war were sent to brigades, regiments, departments, and government organs.
At 8 o'clock in the morning of the 19th, Meng Peiqiong commanded more than 300 people from the four main battalions and the Tunau Niu's Peak Climbing Department to rush to the Zhanjigang area in two ways. Meng Peiqiong personally commanded three battalions, under the cover of heavy artillery fire and light and heavy machine guns, to pounce on the position of the New Fourth Army. The commanders and fighters of the New Fourth Army fiercely returned fire with light machine guns and grenades, and rows of bullets and grenades flew sideways in the group of recalcitrant troops, repelling the recalcitrant army's attacks again and again.
By 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the rampant Meng Peiqiong still thought that there was only one unit of the 18th Regiment of the New Fourth Army in the Zhanjigang area, so he readjusted his deployment and planned to encircle the Zhanjigang area and completely annihilate the garrison of the New Fourth Army in one fell swoop.
Here's your chance. At this time, the 13th Regiment and the cavalry company, reconnaissance company, and artillery company of the brigade of the New Fourth Army had already moved covertly from Zhangqiao Town to the flank of the recalcitrant army north of Zhanjigang. Brigade commander Cheng Jun came to the 13th Regiment to personally command, and took advantage of the recalcitrant army's adjustment of deployment to command the troops to make a sudden attack.
The cavalry company rushed into the enemy position with a horizontal sword, and the reconnaissance company and the 1st and 2nd companies of the 13th Regiment followed closely, descending the mountain like a tiger. Company commander Gao Hechang took the lead and led the whole company to break into the enemy formation, killing the stubborn army. When the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 513th Regiment of the recalcitrant army was captured, he held his head in his hands and exclaimed: "It's terrible! The cavalry of the New Fourth Army is fierce. Dodge to the left, stab to the left, dodge to the right, stab to the right, can't parry. Gui Yan was in disarray under the sudden blow of the New Fourth Army and retreated. The New Fourth Army pursued the victory and annihilated more than one battalion of the recalcitrant army. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 14th Regiment attacked from the south of Zhanjigang and cooperated with the 13th Regiment to encircle Meng Peiqiong and his remnants at Shangyangjia; the 3rd Battalion and the 15th Regiment of the 14th Regiment attacked the recalcitrant army attacking Dong Daxu and divided and surrounded the four battalions in Xipenggang and Xiaopenggang in one go. That night, one regiment of the 14th Regiment and one of the 15th Regiment, under the command of deputy brigade commander Zhang Yixiang, annihilated one infantry company and one heavy machine gun platoon of the recalcitrant army trapped in Xiaopenggang.
On the 20th, Cheng Jun and others estimated that Gui Yan might send troops to reinforce them, and sent a force of the 15th Regiment and the 14th Regiment to prepare for reinforcements.
The cunning and recalcitrant army took advantage of the New Fourth Army's adjustment of deployment and suddenly broke through the encirclement. The 15th Regiment and the 14th Regiment of the New Fourth Army each pursued fiercely behind, and the 1st Battalion of the 18th Regiment intercepted in front. Under the attack of the New Fourth Army, except for the recalcitrant battalion commander Meng Zuoxuan, who escaped with more than a dozen people, all the rest were annihilated.
At the same time, the 13th and 14th regiments launched an attack on the stubbornness that was surrounded in Shangyang's house. Under the bombardment of mortars and grenades, the smoke of the Shangyang family was billowing out, and the recalcitrant army was so smoked that they couldn't open their eyes and breathe. Stubborn like a flock of ducks, fleeing in all directions. Cheng Jun ordered an immediate onslaught, pursued and fought fiercely, and annihilated most of the recalcitrant army. Meng Peiqiong led the remnants to flee into Xiaozhuzhuang in an attempt to resist stubbornly. The pursuing troops of the New Fourth Army rushed into the village and completely annihilated the stubborn in just over 10 minutes. At about 4 p.m., the fighting was over. The 511 Regiment of Gui Yan, who came to help, immediately fled south when they heard the news. Xie Weizi, who had been entrenched for many years and endangered the liberated area, also abandoned his nest and fled, and Xie Weizi was recovered by the 18th Regiment of the New Fourth Army. Meng Peiqiong hid in a trench and pretended to be dead, and was captured alive by the troops of the New Fourth Army who were cleaning up the battlefield.
In this battle, more than 1,900 people from the four main battalions and the local troops who participated in the battle were completely annihilated, including 1 regiment commander and 3 battalion commanders. In the spring of 1945, during the battle of Prince City, the New Fourth Army seized a briefcase of the 1st Battalion of the 511th Regiment of Gui Yan, from which a limerick poem depicting the battle of Gui Yan occupied Jigang:
It's sad to occupy the chicken gang,
War horses gallop and blood flies;
Ask if you can remember,
Go north to suppress a few bandits!
In late November 1944, the 4th Brigade also took advantage of the victory to attack Zhoujiagang and other recalcitrant strongholds, annihilating more than 300 of them. Although these two battles greatly dampened the spirit of Gui's 171st Division, the fundamental problem of Luxi was not resolved: Gui's attempt to seize the Luxi base area and sever the strategic links between the 2nd and 7th Divisions of the New Fourth Army was not abandoned. On December 16, 1944, Li Pinxian put forward the anti-communist slogan of "sweeping out the bandits on a large scale and eliminating banditry" and deployed Gui Yan to continue the offensive against the New Fourth Army.
On February 13, 1945, more than 2,000 puppet troops stationed in Wuwei County "swept away" the eastern area of Wuwei (Wei), the anti-Japanese base area of Wanjiang. On 21 February, with two regiments of the 176th Division and three regiments of the local security forces, a total of five regiments, Gui Yan again attacked the Chaowu central area, and on 7 March, he took two regiments of the 171st Division to the area around Huayang Temple in Hanshan in an attempt to attack the Hehan area. The 7th Division was in a very disadvantageous position in the face of the flanking attack of the Japanese puppet army and Gui Yan. In order to extricate itself from the predicament, in accordance with the unified deployment of the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army, the 7th Division adopted such methods as concealing the main force, attacking at the right time, and flexibly carrying out guerrilla warfare.
In order to support the 7th Division's "sweeping" to smash the Japanese puppet army and Gui's attack, the New Fourth Army Headquarters urgently transferred the 2nd Brigade of the 5th Division to reinforce the Chaowu area. At the same time, the 2nd Division launched an attack on the 171st Division of the Gui Army, and 12 Gui strongholds such as Liankejie Paiji, Wangshantou, and Xiaojiawei were annihilated, annihilating nearly 1,000 of their men, forcing the Gui Yan who attacked the Wanjiang area to withdraw. However, Gui Yan did not stop the attack, and Li Pinxian sent the 172nd Division to the east, together with the original two divisions, with a total strength of 13,000 troops, and attacked the Chaonan area of the 7th Division and the Luxi area of the 2nd Division again.
At this time, the 2nd and 7th Divisions were preparing to develop southward, and Gui Yan's long-term invasion of the Huainan Luxi and Wanjiang areas not only blocked the contact between the 2nd and 7th Divisions and threatened the security of the Luxi area and the central Anhui base area, but also greatly restrained the New Fourth Army from moving south to carry out new tasks.
In order to change this unfavorable situation, on 12 March, Zhang Yunyi, Rao Shushi, and Lai Chuanzhu sent a telegram to Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Liu Shaoqi, deciding to transfer the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division from Huaibei to the west of Huainan Road, and to order the independent brigade of the 3rd Division to rush from northern Jiangsu to central Anhui to cooperate with the 2nd Division and the 7th Division to fight in order to completely solve the problem of the west of Huainan Jinpu Road, and to create convenient conditions for the southward movement of troops and the transfer of the main force in the future.
On 6 April, the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army decided to form the Luxi Self-Defense and Anti-Recalcitrant Campaign Headquarters, with Tan Zhenlin and Peng Mingzhi as the principal and deputy commanders respectively. On the same day, Rao Shushi and Zhang Yunyi also went to Luxi to deploy operations.
At the same time, the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army received information that the recalcitrant army was also ready to launch an offensive after the end of the battle of Laohekou.
Tan Zhenlin was originally going to cross the Yangtze River to the south in January 1945 and take office as the political commissar of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Military Region. However, due to the tense situation in Huainan, he continued to stay in Luxi and lead the struggle in the Huainan anti-Japanese base area.
This time, Gui stubbornly attacked, no longer a long drive straight in, but built a bunker, step by step. Tan Zhenlin believed that the New Fourth Army should attack its strongholds with superior forces, carry out "encirclement and reinforcements," encircle the strongholds of the recalcitrant army's Prince City, lure the recalcitrant army to come to its aid, and strive to annihilate the main force of the recalcitrant side during the movement, and then attack its position.
On the night of April 14, the battle officially began. The 5th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the New Fourth Army, with the close cooperation of the 4th Brigade, the 7th Brigade and the troops of the Luxi Army Division, dispatched attack troops to launch a fierce attack on the stronghold of the Gui Army's Prince City in two directions.
Sure enough, when the recalcitrant army heard that the prince city was surrounded, they immediately dispatched four main regiments and local reactionary forces to reinforce them one after another, but they were all blocked by the New Fourth Army in the north and south areas of the Huangtong Temple, and the Luxi troops immediately launched a counterattack.
After six days and nights of fierce fighting, the New Fourth Army conquered 13 strongholds including Prince City, annihilated two regiments of Gui Yan's main force and more than 3,600 local reactionary forces, opened up the links between the 2nd Division and the 7th Division, and basically achieved the goal of the campaign. However, due to the fact that the two divisions of the New Fourth Army fought together for the first time, the coordination was not good, and the battle was turned into a crushing battle, and Gui stubbornly retreated to the area south and east of the Huangtong Temple, and the battle situation became a stalemate. The New Fourth Army suffered more than 2,500 casualties of its own, and it was unfavorable to fight again, so the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army decided to withdraw the troops participating in the battle.
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